The Medical journal of Australia
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Describe perceptions of how well researchers conducting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and medical research apply ethical research practices. ⋯ Researchers are not consistently implementing all ethical practices outlined in guidelines for research involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We call for commitment from researchers, institutions and funding bodies to address shortfalls, embed processes, and hold researchers accountable to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, communities and the principles and guidelines they have established.
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To examine what ethics approvals are being sought for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and medical research, and to determine what proportion of this research upholds Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ethical governance via an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community-controlled human research ethics committee (AHREC) by jurisdiction and funding body type. ⋯ We found a concerning lack of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ethical governance reported in health and medical research. Acknowledging that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ethics guidelines and AHRECs were established due to harm caused to communities, these results suggest a high risk, with research not consistently being deemed safe, respectful and beneficial with appropriate AHREC ethics review and approval. We join calls for the establishment of AHRECs in all jurisdictions and nationally. Furthermore, we urge funding bodies and institutions to uphold requirements for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ethical governance in research and funding agreements, as well as institutional policies and procedures.